Allergies almost always disappear when the gut’s microbiome is balanced.

Allergies are symptoms of an overwhelmed immune system trying frantically to defend itself from any and all possible threats. Allergy medications suppress symptoms, and symptom suppression eventually leads to disease. Food allergies, seasonal allergies, and most of the other kinds of allergies can be completely eliminated. But there’s a catch. You’re going to have to change your diet.

Your body’s gut flora primarily consists of bacteria and fungi. A healthy gut contains a ratio of about 1000 bacteria to 1 Candida yeast cell. The fungi that likes our body best is Candida albicans, a kind of yeast that proliferates in a host who consumes a poor diet or otherwise disrupts their gut flora. The following are examples of how our modern lifestyle tends to disrupt our natural gut bacteria:

• Antibiotics from our food, soaps, water, and drugs
• Refined foods that feed the wrong flora
• Vaccines, drugs, heavy metals, and other toxins that kill beneficial flora
• Pesticides, herbicides, and other toxins that kill our bacteria
• Other toxic “foods” that disrupt our gut flora (like foods that contain heavy metals, artificial sweeteners, GMOs, etc.)

Naturally, our gut consists of a massive array of beneficial gut bacteria (and some Candida) that help us break down and assimilate food, assimilate nutrients, and produce hormones, all while crowding out any potential pathogens and keeping Candida at bay. It’s no coincidence that the most beneficial gut bacteria loves to dine on the most beneficial foods we can eat – raw, organic vegetables. The more fresh, raw, organic produce you eat, the healthier your gut flora will be.

Candida are Such Opportunists!

So what happens when you kill the good guys? Funny thing about Candida, the spores can survive just about anything. Candida is not all bad; it has its job to do, just like every other microbe, but when it’s not kept in check, things get messy. When you drink alcohol, take antibiotics, or do anything else that disturbs the gut flora, what you’re doing is killing beneficial bacteria and leaving behind Candida spores. These spores will hatch and flourish when they discover the coast is clear. Ideally, when this imbalance happens, our appendix squirts out some bacteria it had saved up for just such an occasion. Unfortunately, our modern sugary chemically laden diets and lifestyles have given Candida the boost it needs to take over the gut to the point at which the appendix’s bacteria can’t compete.

At this point there’s a very inhospitable environment in the gut. Candida doesn’t seem to mind neighbors, so once the gut is overrun by Candida, imagine a party with lots of other unsavory characters that got out of hand. Some of the gut flora that may have been beneficial to us before will now adapt to its new environment, and in turn, not be so beneficial. Microbes mutate and change in fascinating ways. Take e-coli, for instance. It’s a perfectly fine bacteria to have in our gut under natural circumstances. The problem is, when a cow is left in a pen, is fed an extremely acid and unnatural diet, and is given large quantities of antibiotics, the bacteria mutates to a much hardier and deadly form of the bacteria. Everything we put into our gut creates and manipulates the flora for better or for worse in countless ways. Feed your gut the good stuff, and you’ll have good flora. Eat the wrong foods, or take drugs, and you’ll have flora that adapts to a poor environment.

From Yeast to Pseudohyphal and Hyphal Forms – A Causal Agent of Other Infections

Speaking of adapting, once that Candida is feeling crowded and has outgrown its home in the gut, Candida can grow out of its single-cell yeast form and into a filamentous fungal form that grows root-like tentacles (hyphae) that drill deep into the mucosal lining of the gut, poking “holes” into already an irritated and inflamed, gut lining, resulting in a leaky gut. Now Candida and all kinds of other crap (excuse the pun) can leak into the bloodstream and travel throughout the body. Candida can infect every organ of the body and repeat the hyphal hole-making process in all of its new homes. When it takes the pseudohyphal and hyphal fungal forms, it creates a toxic biofilm that protects itself against things that would normally kill it (like antibiotics and anti-fungal medications).

Candida is the key that unleashes a barrage of other infectious microbes and partially digested food from our gut into the bloodstream. Now the body is in a constant tug of war with Candida and other invaders that continue to try to rip it apart. There is a back and forth with the gut’s permeability, as the body is constantly repairing the gut as best it can and fighting off infection from within the gut and throughout the body.

Candida, parasites, infectious bacteria, other fungi, and all kinds of microbes that escape the gut will set up their colonies where they can hide and find food. Infectious microbes generally eat simple sugars and decaying cells. Pathogens like to congregate in cavities and around old injuries (this is why old injuries ache and become inflamed). The mere presence of these microbes irritates their surroundings, causing damage to cells, which end up feeding the pathogens (as mentioned, they feed on dead and decaying and damaged cells). It’s not too difficult to see why the body will crave sugar. Every time you feed the pathogens there’s a feeling of relief within the body. It feels good. The pathogens are eating the sugar and leaving us alone for a moment. Unfortunately, the next thing they do is multiply. They turn back on you when they’re out of sugar to eat. And the more damage they do to the body, the more food they have to eat.

There are at least 70 different toxins live Candida releases, and even more toxins are released when Candida dies. Two of the most prominent toxins produced are acetaldehyde and gliotoxin. Acetaldehyde which is a metabolic byproduct of Candida that is similar to carbon dioxide that we exhale, leads to oxidative stress and inflammation. Too much acetaldehyde in the body is the equivalent of alcohol poisoning. Gliotoxin is another major toxin created by yeast that suppresses the immune system and kills key immune cells, liver cells, and impairs the liver’s ability to detoxify the body.

Is Candida the Problem?

Both of the aforementioned toxins can be linked to almost every autoimmune disease or symptom there is, but once Candida permeates the gut, it’s not just Candida causing the problems. The body is susceptible to anything and everything at this point. All kinds of undigested food particles and microbes flood the bloodstream off and on as the gut walls deteriorate and heal, back and forth, all while the immune system is completely overtaxed. To make matters worse, what Candida does to the intestinal wall when it goes fungal, it will do in other areas of the body as well, which wrecks havoc on the immune system. The typical human in a modern society is dealing with so many different kinds of infections and other toxins at one time that the body reacts to anything and everything that doesn’t belong. The more inflamed the body becomes, the more the immune system becomes overburdened and confused. It’s a painful cycle that starts with allergies and eventually leads to autoimmune disease. In other words, aches and pains from old injuries and allergies, any kind of allergies, are some of the first signs of an unbalanced, unhealthy gut that is currently, or has been, seeping toxins and microbes into the body.

Most people have pockets of infection all over their bodies. Candida spores (and some other interesting pathogens) can lie in wait, completely dormant, for many months, just waiting for an opportunity to flourish. Some pathogens have other tricks that allow them to hang out undetected by the immune system for very long periods of time, while their lifecycle produces toxins that damage the body. Once the gut allows infection into the body, Candida may or may not still play a factor in disease, but it’s almost always an underlining cause. And it’s easy to see, when you can picture what happens, why a holistic approach is imperative to getting well.

How Does One Know if One has Candida?

If you’re sick, it doesn’t really matter. There’s testing, but it’s not reliable. One of the many problems with testing is that the same body may test differently a day later, depending on what’s going on in the body. Different pathogens may flourish at different times depending on many factors. Symptoms that indicate an abundance of Candida may actually be caused by another kind of fungus or any other pathogen, and in fact usually is caused by more than one pathogen effecting the body at once. A holistic approach rids the body of fungal infections, parasites, infectious bacteria, and any other pathogen that doesn’t belong while the gut heals and beneficial flora is restored. So while this is a list of “Candida Symptoms,” it’s really a list of symptoms that the gut is not well and the body is dealing with a heavy toxic load.

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Hyperactivity
• Irritability
• Seeing “floaters” in vision
• Itchy ears
• Itchy feet
• Headaches and migraines
• Allergies
• Difficulty with memory and concentration
• Flatulence
• Digestive upset
• Chronic diarrhea
• Recurrent urinary tract infections or other symptoms of poor urinary health
• Decreased libido
• Acne
• Dry skin and other skin issues including eczema
• Joint pain
• Slow healing
• Chronic sinus, ear, mouth, and jaw infections (including gum disease)
• Menstrual disturbances
• Premenstrual tension
• Any autoimmune disease
• Myasthenia gravis
• Schizophrenia
• Increased sensitivity to foods
• and much more! See Signs You Have Too Much Candida

The Holistic Approach – Natural Gut Healing Protocol

Most people can heal their body of any and every ailment provided they have all of their body parts. Things get tricky when parts are missing, but most of us can get completely and totally well with just the right diet alone. Supplements can radically speed up the process of getting well, but if you have access to the right food, supplements aren’t usually a necessity. With the wrong diet, supplements aren’t going to be nearly as effective. Here’s a protocol to rid the body of infectious microbes, heal the gut, and balance the flora. Try it for two weeks and it will change your life. But there’s a catch. You can’t go back to old habits that got you here. This is only step one. Step two is eating right and taking care from now on.

Related: How To Heal Your Gut

Drink Lots of Cranberry Lemonade

Drink between a half a gallon and a gallon of cranberry lemonade a day to flush the liver and kidneys of toxins, and help rejuvenate the endocrine system, which will help keep the blood clean and reduce “die-off symptoms” commonly associated with killing Candida.

Cranberry Lemonade Recipe

• Glass gallon jar
• Safe, clean, spring water or distilled water
• 1 cup of unsweetened, organic cranberry juice, not from concentrate
• 3 organic fresh lemons
• A citrus juicer
• Liquid stevia
• Liquid cayenne

Fill the jar to about 85% capacity with spring water (or distilled water). Squeeze the lemons and pour the juice into the water. Add cranberry juice. Add stevia to taste and then add cayenne to taste. The amount of cayenne used is up to you, but the more the better.

If you don’t have access to a good source for spring water, use other clean drinking water that does not contain fluoride. If you don’t have access to organic lemons, use conventional. Fresh is almost always best. If there are no fresh lemons, use organic bottled lemon juice. If you can’t get cranberry juice that is not from concentrate, get the reconstituted kind (just don’t get any kind of cranberry juice that has any other ingredients like sweeteners or other juices). If you can’t stand cayenne, don’t use it. No glass jar? Use plastic.

Eat Right

Produce detoxifies. Fresh, whole, organic, raw vegetables, herbs, and fruits pull toxins from the body as they repopulate healthy, beneficial gut bacteria and give the body the nutrients it needs including enzymes and other phytonutrients that are almost non-existent in most modern diets.

Try to eat a huge salad every day with lots of greens, plenty of other colors, garlic, cilantro, ginger, and more. Check out this salad recipe.

The Salad Base

• Spinach
• Arugula (I prefer baby arugula, mature arugula tastes funky)
• Collard greens (they’re very bitter; use sparingly)
• Lettuce (mix it up, try an organic spring mix)
• Kale
• Beet greens (the tops of beets)
• Red cabbage (thinly shred like a slaw or a little thicker, depending on the texture you prefer)
• Rainbow chard

Shredded, Grated

• Carrots
• Zucchini
• Beetroot
• Daikon (or other radish)

Chopped or Diced

• Leeks
• Red onions
• Red and yellow bell peppers
• Cucumbers
• Cilantro
• Asparagus (try cooking in a balsamic vinegar first)

Extras

• Pomegranate seeds
• Olives
• Raisins or dried cranberries
• Sesame seeds
• Ground papaya seeds and/or ground pepper
• Avocado
• Eggs (try soft boiled)
• Beans (black, pinto, kidney, green, garbanzo, etc.)
• Garlic
• Turmeric
• Chia seeds

It’s not an exact recipe, and it doesn’t have to be. Mix it up. Try new things. My salads generally have about 15 ingredients. Make them big; make them diverse. Just imagine you’re in nature, not modern society, and all you have to eat is nothing but a wide variety of the best, whole, fresh, healthy vegetables and herbs. This is what a big salad a day can do for you: it’s life changing.

I throw in chickpeas or a three-bean salad combination. If you’re not vegan, try a sheep feta cheese with this salad, and throw on some eggs. It’s good with meat, too, like chicken or steak.

Don’t ruin it with a crappy salad dressing! All this salad needs is a little balsamic vinegar (apple cider is better, but I don’t like the taste as much in my salads), or some fresh lemon juice. It doesn’t take much.

Related: Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting  (salad and lemonade recipes included)

What Else to Eat and What Not to Eat

Eat whole foods; avoid refined foods. Brown rice is good; white rice is out. Avoid any wheat; artificial colors, flavors, preservatives, or sweeteners; trans fats; and MSG. Avoid carbonated beverages. Avoid GMOs. Limit fruits, and besides stevia, avoid or limit anything else that’s sweet.

Our modern diet almost always includes too much-refined sugar. We would not have access to agave nectar, brown rice syrup, fruit juices, and other sweeteners in nature. It’s just too much sugar. You may be thinking honey is a good alternative, but this is only true when the gut is healed, the body is relatively free of infection, and the immune system functions properly. Otherwise, even with its antimicrobial properties, honey can feed infection as it goes through the digestion process.

Related: Sugar Leads to Depression – World’s First Trial Proves Gut and Brain are Linked (Protocol Included)

Fungal Supplement Stack – Knock Out Yeast, Candida, Mold, Fungus

The first three should be plenty for most people with the right diet, but for really prominent fungal issues or for impatient people with a bigger budget I’d recommend all of these:

• Formula SF722 – Thorne Research
• Syntol AMD – Arthur Andrew Medical
• Berberine 500mg – Thorne Research
• MycoCeutics MycoPhyto Complex – EcoNugenics
• MicroDefense – Pure Encapsulations
• Abzorb Vitamin & Nutrient Optimizer (500mg) HCP Formulas

Formula SF722 is one of the best products (perhaps the best) for killing any kind of fungal infection. It’s been shown in labs that Candida cannot adapt to undecenoic acid (the active ingredient in SF722) like it can with almost every other way we try to kill it.

I recommend taking the SF722, Berberine, MycoCeutics, and Microdefense with meals, and the Abzorb and Syntol separately, on an empty stomach (like in the morning and before bed). The Abzorb and the Syntol are a bit redundant, but I find good results using both if the budget can afford it. If money is really tight, just get the SF722 and put your money into your diet.

If bowel movements are a problem I would also consider Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse and Intestnial Detox.

Shillington’s Intestinal Cleanse will kill parasites, Candida, and other bad guys while it heals the gut, improves regularity, and removes nasty biofilm (little-known fact: there’s good biofilm, and there’s bad biofilm), all while setting up a hospitable environment for beneficial flora. It will also make bowel movements easier and is often used for constipation.

Shillington’s Intestinal Detox is important for anyone who may have heavy metals in their system, and this formula heals the whole digestive tract. It’s not as necessary for more people, but if you experience digestive upset or heavy metal toxicity the intestinal detox is perfect for these issues. It can slow down the bowel movements a little and is often used with the aforementioned intestinal cleanse.

There are certain vitamins and minerals that have been proven to curb Candida growth, and of course, many of these nutrients are also nutrients that Candida depletes the body of. The right diet should suffice, but most people will do well with a nutrition formula, a mineral formula, fats and vitamin D, and a B vitamin Complex. This is especially true for anyone who doesn’t have access to high quality, nutrient dense food on a regular basis. Biotin, otherwise known as B7, helps prohibit Candida from converting to its Hyphal filamentous growth structure, which is when the tentacles drill through the gut. But there are at least a dozen other minerals and vitamins that we know are just as significant to gut balance, hence the holistic approach.

Related: Best Supplements To Kill Candida and Everything Else You Ever Wanted To Know About Fungal Infections

Conclusion

Candida is a hot topic of debate within both the naturopathic community and conventional medicine, with views ranging from Candida being the root of everything that’s wrong with the body to it being a very rare issue that is completely overblown. The reality is that a Candida infection in the gut is a process that happens when one is not well, and when left unchecked (it doesn’t take long) Candida will allow other pathogens to infiltrate the body through the gut. Once someone is sick, it may or may not be Candida causing their problems. Illness is never just one type of pathogen. If you feel ill there’s a safe bet that there’s more than just one type of virus or bacteria affecting your health.

Recommended Reading:

• Still Have Candida? How Mercury Fillings Cause Candida Overgrowth
• How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children
• Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases
• Hypothyroidism – Natural Remedies, Causes, and How To Heal the Thyroid
• Total Nutrition – Make your own Homemade Multivitamin and Mineral Formula
• How to Cure Lyme Disease, and Virtually Any Other Bacterial Infection, Naturally
• Understanding and Detoxifying Genetically Modified Foods
• Doc Shillington’s Total Body Cleanse

Sources:

• Conquer Candida Naturally – Dr. Jockers
• How to Treat Persistent Vaginal Yeast Infection Due to Species Other Than Candida Albicans – MedScape
• Signal transduction through homologs of the Ste20p and Ste7p protein kinases can trigger hyphal formation in the pathogenic fungus Candida albicans – National Academy of Sciences

The appearance of miniature leafy vegetables is not the only reason they are increasing in popularity among gardening professionals, chefs, and consumers. It turns out that microgreens are a robust superfood filled with an enormous amount of energy, nutrients, and antioxidants.

The miniature veggies and herbs have the amazing ability to pack up a lot of flavour in a small amount and can be used to create texture or to give a final touch to a dish. With a plethora of nutritional benefits and distinctive taste, microgreens definitely deserve a place in your home garden and your diet.

What Are Microgreens?

Microgreens are the young seedlings of a variety edible vegetables or herbs, harvested less than two weeks after germination. During this period, also known as the cotyledon growth stage, the first set of leaves sprout, but the root system and the leaf structure are not fully developed. As the name suggests, they are pretty small in size – only one to three inches of height. Popular microgreens include kale, radish greens, onions, watercress, cabbage, broccoli, amaranth, and arugula and herbs such as basil, cilantro, parsley, chervil, and chives. What is unique about these tiny plants is that they have a stronger and more condensed taste than the mature plants.

Microgreens Vs. Sprouts

In the recent years microgreens have become a good alternative to sprouts for various reasons. Both microgreens and sprouts pack a powerful punch with an abundance of flavor and nutrients. The two differ in their planting method and therefore in their nutrient value. Unlike sprouts that are grown using only water, microgreens require soil. As they grow, microgreens absorb minerals from the soil and undergo more photosynthesis than sprouts, increasing their nutritional content. The young seedlings are more developed than sprouts and thus have slightly higher fiber content. Lastly, there have been fatal outbreaks of  antibiotic-resistant E-coli  traced back to sprouts. These factors give microgreens a considerable competitive advantage over sprouts.

Nutritional Content of Microgreens

Leafy vegetables are rich in beta-carotene as well as calcium and iron. Dark green leafy plants such as chard and kale are also high in lutein and zeaxanthin. Below, you can find the nutritional information for some of the most popular microgreens.

Red Cabbage Micros

• Highest levels of vitamin C – a 100-gram portion contains 147 mg of vitamin C or 245% of the daily value vs. 57 mg in an equal-sized serving of mature raw red cabbage
• Microgreen red cabbage contains 69 times more vitamin K than the mature plant
• The microgreen version has 40 times more vitamin E than the fully-grown red cabbage

Cilantro Microgreens

• Higher concentrations of carotenoids than the mature herb
• Higher levels of lutein, violaxanthin, and zeaxanthin
• The microgreen version contains 3 times more beta-carotene

Garnet Amaranth

• Contains the highest amount of vitamin K1 compared to other microgreens and its matured counterpart

Green Daikon Radish

• Has the highest levels of vitamin E compared to other microgreens and its fully-grown counterpart
• A small amount of daikon radishes can cover your daily need of vitamin C (the recommended allowance for adults is 15 mg)

Lettuce Seedlings

• Has the highest antioxidant capacity among the microgreens, especially seven days after germination
• Has the highest amounts of health-promoting phenolic compounds

Sunflower

• The microgreen consists of 24% to 30% protein

What Does This Mean for You?

Judging by the nutritional information of these selected microgreens, there are plenty of reasons to incorporate them into your diet. They are a good source of vitamin C – a powerful antioxidant that helps protect your body from the negative impact of the free radicals. Beta-carotene reduces the risk of eye diseases and cancer, while Vitamin K plays an important role for maintaining strong and healthy bones.

It’s hard to get the required amount of vitamins and minerals you need every single day, but eating microgreens can provide a quick and easy way to do it. If you are interested in adding more microgreens into your menu, you have two options – you can either purchase them or grow them yourself. Luckily you don’t need the service of expert gardeners for this project.

Growing Microgreens

These tiny plants take far less time to grow than regular greenery and are ready for harvest within 7 to 10 days. In comparison, their mature counterparts require 10 weeks.Keep in mind that once you cut them in their early stage, the tiny greens will not continue to grow and you will need to start all over again. Microgreens are pretty easy in terms of planting and gardening because they require minimal sunlight and space. You can grow these tender and tiny greens in your kitchen or in a windowsill.

Keep in mind that once you cut them in their early stage, the tiny greens will not continue to grow and you will need to start all over again, but microgreens are pretty easy in terms of planting and gardening because they require minimal sunlight and space. You can grow these tender and tiny greens in your kitchen or in a windowsill.

Another benefit of home-grown microgreens is that they are not exposed to as many pollutants as commercially offered varieties. Since it’s up to you to determine the gardening conditions, such as the type and quality of soil and the exposure to pesticides, you will have toxin-free and healthier microgreens.

Growing your own microgreens provides you with easy access to fresh and delicious mini vegetables ready for use. For more gardening ideas, be sure to read the City Garden Blog.

Further Reading:

• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Five Reasons for Sprouting at Home
• Your Guide to Root Vegetables – Health Benefits, Recipes, and More
• Five Awesome Organic Foods that Pack More Punch than Supplements

Sources:

• European Disease Detectives Zero In On Fenugreek As E. Coli Source -National Public Radio – Public Health News
• Beta-Carotene -Wikipedia

According to a study of the Harvard Medical School, eating more fresh vegetables, a simple improvement in your diet, can have a tangible effect on your health. Here are a few great vegetables to boost your immune system and a couple of food combos that will enhance their flavour:

Asparagus

Nutrition Facts

Asparagus has plenty of folate, dietary fibre, and iron. The greenery contains selenium, which decreases the risk of bladder, colon, breast, rectum, prostate, and lung cancer. A serving, 242 g of asparagus, provides 74% of the required daily intake of vitamin C and 25% of iron.

How To Cook It

To avoid losing flavour and the nourishing elements of the asparagus, you should not overcook it. Steam for 3 minutes or bake 10 to 15 minutes in the oven at 400 F (204 C). If you prefer, you can also cook asparagus on the barbeque and sprinkle with a few drops of balsamic vinegar.

What Works with Asparagus

The greenery goes well with steak or chicken, as well as with prosciutto, bacon, ham, mint, lemon, toasted almonds and Parmesan cheese. You can also add it to a quiche, risotto, or pasta to give the dish unique earthy undertones.

Almost Raw Asparagus Mango Salad Recipe

Spinach

Nutrition Facts

Spinach is low in saturated fat and cholesterol while it is rich in zinc. It is known for fostering the immune system and speeding up the healing processes in your body. Spinach is also a good source of protein, dietary fibre, folate, iron, and magnesium. In a single serving of 30 g, you get 56% of the required daily intake of vitamin A and 14% of vitamin C.

How To Cook It

You can use raw spinach in salads or steam it for a few minutes. You can also sauté the greenery for several minutes or roast it for 10 minutes. It is important to rinse it well before using it in your meals to remove dirt and grit.

What Works With Spinach

You can pair the leafy greenery with butter, cream, bacon, cheese, eggs, garlic, onions, mushrooms, red pepper flakes, anchovies, pine nuts, nutmeg, olive oil, sesame oil, salt, and soy sauce.

Raw Spinach Basil Soup Recipe

Rhubarb

Nutrition facts

Rhubarb is great for your bones and proper organ functioning because of its high vitamin C levels (10% of the daily value per 122g serving size). The vegetable is very low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. According to expert gardeners and herbalists, it can also relieve women’s hot flashes.

How To Cook It

Although you can eat it raw with a little sugar sprinkled on it, it is generally cooked with other ingredients, most often fruits to enhance their taste. Rhubarb is used for pie fillings, baked sauces, jellies, jams, muffins, cakes, and other desserts.

What Works With Rhubarb

To balance the sour flavour of this vegetable, combine it with sweet fruits such as strawberries. For savoury dishes, you can combine rhubarb with beets, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, or serve it as a sauce for meats and fish.

Beets

Nutrition facts

Beetroot contains a considerable amount of potassium, folate, and vitamin C can and have very few calories (around 50 per cup). However, large portion of the calories in the vegetable come from sugar.

How To Cook It

Baking and oven-roasting are wonderful ways to bring up the natural sweetness of the beets. You can use it raw in salads with some carrots, raisins and sweet dressing or add it in a stew or soup.

What Works With Beets

You can go with the classic combination of beets and goat cheese, especially if the vegetable is slightly older and flavourful. Orange or lemon juice will highlight its flavour. Other complementary herbs and foods are beef, bacon, smoked fish, apples, cheese, cream, chestnuts, honey, cinnamon, vinegar, and vinaigrette. Believe it or not, chocolate and beetroot are a match made in heaven.

Radishes

Nutrition facts

The crunchy, tasteful, and inexpensive superfood, which can be easily grown in your own garden, is full of vitamin C and almost zero calories. Ten radishes contain only 8 calories, and their sharpness will refresh your entire body in a minute.

How To Cook It

Radishes are usually included raw in meals, but they can be cooked just like other vegetables. You can toss them in the pan with some butter, chives, or other herbs that you use for your gardening project and season with pepper and salt. Radishes are great for braising, because they easily absorb the rich flavour of the braising liquid and get sweet and juicy.

What Works With Radishes

Radishes pair deliciously with creamy cheese, quinoa, faro, butter, onions, and citrus fruit. If you are looking for a lighter alternative to potatoes, try braised radishes with your meat or vegetable stew.

For more homesteading ideas and gardening techniques check the Skilful Gardeners Blog.

Editor’s Note: I eat every one of these vegetables raw in my daily salads. For my recipe, check out Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included.

Further Reading:

• The Benefits of Root Vegetables – Recipes Included
• Almost Raw Asparagus Mango Salad Recipe
• 80% Raw Food Diet
• Spinach

Sources:

• University of Illinois
• All Recipes

If we ever wanted to see the end of a piece of legislation, it would be the DARK Act. If you are not familiar with it, this legislation is aimed at taking away our right to know what we are eating. States will not be able to legislate GMO labeling. The DARK Act completely blocks efforts to label genetically modified foods.

What it’s really all about is big business, corruption, and empty biotech promises and lies.

Big Business

This may seem a little off topic, but this fact about big business is really interesting. According to the Small Business Administration, as of 2010, the United States was home to 27.9 million small businesses and only 18,500 large businesses. In this case, a large business is defined as a business employing 500 or more employees. Yes, that’s right; 99.7% of the businesses in the United States are small businesses with 500 or fewer employees. So how and why do these few businesses carry so much weight and influence?

Corruption?

What else could it be other than corruption and payoffs? Why would our elected officials, whose sworn duty is to serve the people they represent, be so hell bent on ignoring the rights and wishes of the American people? Why do they want federal legislation that denies the rights of Americans to know what they are eating and what they are feeding their children?

Do they really think biotech is the answer to world hunger when other countries are seeing through the propaganda and lies and realizing that genetically modified crops are not the panacea they are purported to be. In addition, they are contaminating other crops (heirloom, organic, indigenous) as containment is impossible. (Who can control the wind and the birds?)

According to the Center for Food Safety, here are the results of recent polls of the American people:

Biotech

They keep telling us genetically modified foods are safe, that fear of them is unscientific and frankly stupid. We know better.

Common sense tells us that growing and eating a food genetically modified to kill life (insects, infection, microbes), or modified to be able to withstand being drenched in chemicals designed to kill, not to mentiona all of the other agricultural poisons (that we end up eating) is not smart. Add to that the fact that the chemicals used to grow these plants are destroying farmlands, and it is a no brainer.

We don’t even need the studies showing us that GMOs cause cancer and reproductive failure in lab animals to know this is a bad, bad idea. And yes, these studies do exist. And yes, the biotech companies know they exist. That’s why they do short term studies to “prove” their products are safe and pretend the long-term studies that reveal the real and present dangers don’t exist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrBb00-jR7c

What Can We Do?

On March 1, 2016, the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry again revived the DARK Act by voting on legislation, which is now headed to the full Senate. The bipartisan vote was 14-6 in favor.

This piece of legislation “…directs the Agriculture Secretary, in coordination with other federal agencies, to engage in a consumer education and outreach effort. Information will be science-based and related to environmental, nutritional, economic, and humanitarian benefits of agricultural biotechnology.”

While vague, its purpose is to strike down any attempts by individual states to require GMO labeling for food sold in their state. It claims biotech foods are safe and that this is simply an expensive marketing issue. (With a clear message that the American people are deranged and uninformed).

Tell your elected officials how you feel. Tell them that you don’t care that the World Health Organization claims GMOs are safe or that the Senate committee thinks they are safe. You still deserve the right to choose. We don’t need to be in the dark. Turn on the light. Label GMOs.

Related Reading:

• Understanding and Detoxifying Genetically Modified Foods
• Scientists Against GMOs – Hear From Those Who Have Done the Research
• Doctors Against GMOs – Hear From Those Who Have Done the Research
• How to Detoxify From Antibiotics and Other Chemical Antimicrobials
• How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children

Sources:

• U.S. Polls on GE Food Labeling – Center for Food Safety
• Senate Agriculture Committee Passes Chairman’s Mark on Biotechnology Labeling Solutions – United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry

Cacao growers are facing climate fluctuations along with a growing list of diseases and pests that attack their crops. While the Foundation for a Sustainable Cocoa Economy is on the case (breeding new varieties of cacao and looking for locations that will still be able to sustain cacao production, in say, twenty years), no one knows if they’ll be able to meet the world’s ever expanding demand. What’s going to happen when we run out of chocolate? Will we replace chocolate with carob?

Carob Is Sustainable

Humankind’s long, exciting history with chocolate makes carob seem like the quiet, reliable but less dangerous, less sexy option. It is, but it is also a sustainable one.

Carob is a hardy legume originating in the Mediterranean that can stand temperatures as low as 20°F. Unlike chocolate, carob doesn’t contain caffeine or theobromine. There are few pests that affect it, so it is not likely to be treated with pesticides. Though carob does need to be dried, unlike chocolate, it doesn’t need to be fermented, which further limits its contact with animals and insects.

Perhaps the most important feature of the carob plant is its drought-resistance. Cacao is a water-hungry plant that needs nearly eighty inches of rainfall a year. Regions close to the equator where cacao grows are experiencing drier conditions as climate change evolves, making cacao a less sustainable crop as water resources decline. In contrast, carob requires roughly 20 inches of rain a year, and that’s only to produce fruit. A mature tree can survive drought conditions for years. Multiple signs are pointing to water being the most precious resource in the near future. Shifting our dependence to crops that are less water-intensive is critical.

It Doesn’t Have All of Those Pesky Human Rights Issues

Carob also beats chocolate on human rights. Recent investigations into chocolate production on the Ivory Coast found evidence of continued human rights abuse with 12,000 children smuggled in and made victims of modern slavery. The average carob product is much less labor intensive and more frequently farmed in countries with better-regulated labor laws. It is always more likely to be fair-trade.

Nutrition

Sugar is energy, and we’re biologically wired to want it. But all forms of sugar are not equal, and too much of it and many of the modern forms of it combine to feed Candida and cause other damage. Carob pulp is about 50 percent sugars and while gorging yourself on it isn’t recommended, the naturally occurring sugars benefit greatly from carob’s fiber content, which slows down the absorption of said sugars. This sugar content also has the side benefit of lowering the amount of added sugar needed to make carob palatable.

Carob contains a rich array of nutrients. Like chocolate, carob has significant antioxidant activity, but carob has three times more calcium. It’s also a good source of B vitamins, vitamin A, potassium, magnesium, and trace minerals like iron and manganese. It also serves as a protein source.

In natural medicine, carob’s levels of pectin and tannin help stop serious cases of diarrhea. Its antioxidant profile has also been effective in helping lower cholesterol, and some studies suggest carob is capable of attacking cervical cancer cells.

So Why We Aren’t Clamoring for Carob?

Short Answer? It’s not chocolate.

Carob’s natural sweetness actually plays against it in the taste category, as the bitterness found in chocolate gives it a stronger and more varied flavor profile. Chocolate also contains more fat, another food stuff we find hard to resist.

While linking carob with chocolate does garner some positive press, it also creates carob’s biggest obstacle. Carob and chocolate are most often a sweet treat, they are combined with like ingredients, they are usually the same color, and they do have a similar taste.  However, anyone biting into carob expecting it to taste just like chocolate will be disappointed and forever think of it as an inadequate substitute. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Reframe the Situation

So, it’s not chocolate. If you’re able to separate carob from chocolate, carob can be a satisfying treat. It’s great in homemade energy bites, desserts, and even smoothies. Keep an open mind and try it. You just might have a new favorite sweet snack. Here’s a recipe to get you started.

Carob Coconut Rough Slice

Makes 16-20 single-serve squares

This recipe, Carob Coconut Rough Slice, from Be Good Organics, is used with permission. All of the items listed for the recipe can be purchased from their site.  Always use certified organic ingredients whenever possible.

Base Ingredients

• 1c almonds (soaked 8 hrs or overnight, rinsed and well drained)
• 1/2c raw carob powder
• 1c dates (soaked for a few hours then drained – save the water to use as sweetener in your hot drinks or in a smoothie)
• 2c desiccated coconut
• 3/4c virgin coconut oil, melted but cool
• pinch organic sea salt

Chewy Topping

• 1/2c cashews
• 1/3c raw carob powder
• 8 medjool dates, pitted
• 1/4c virgin coconut oil, melted but cool
• c = 250ml cup, tbsp = 15ml tablespoon, tsp = 5ml teaspoon

Instructions

1. Add almonds to a high-speed food processor or blender, and blend until fine.
2. Add the carob powder and salt and blend again.
3. Now add the dates one by one while the machine is running (through the hole in the top), until fully combined.
4. Remove from the processor into a bowl, then mix in the coconut.
5. Finally mix in the coconut oil until well combined.
6. Pour into a glass or metal tin lined with a square of baking paper and press down until really firmly packed – then place in the freezer to set.
7. Now for the topping, add the cashews to your food processor and blend until they become a fine powder. Add the carob powder until mixed, then one by one while the motor is running add your medjool dates.
8. Make sure your second measure of coconut oil is melted but well cooled (not warm, or it will separate). Add to the processor until the mixture becomes one big gooey ball.
9. Take the base out of the freezer, press the topping down on top of the base and smooth over. Place back in the freezer for about an hour until set, then remove, slice, and store in the freezer or fridge.

This will last a couple of weeks in the fridge. If you want it to last longer (or you have limited self-control), it will also keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Raw Vegan Carob Brownie

Recommended Reading:

• Cinnamon – Ceylon Vs Cassia, Health Benefits, and Other Interesting Facts
• Powerfully Healing Raspberry Cream Smoothie Recipe
• 80% Raw Food Diet

Sources:

• Carob: Better Than Chocolate – Gilead Institute
• Carob vs. Cacao – Live Strong
• Carob Health Medicine – Medical Health Guide

For most people, living a healthy lifestyle is no easy task. Being healthy involves a few hundred decisions every single day about what and where to eat, how to exercise, what medicines or vitamins are necessary, and so much more. Even talking about healthy eating isn’t easy. Food has so much associated context and culture that discussing a healthy diet can be as tricky as conversations about religion or politics.

Don’t think so? Put a vegan, paleo eater, and the average American in a room and watch them go to war over their food philosophies. It’s not that one person is right and the others are wrong; they each have a completely different belief about what constitutes a healthy diet.

In his book and recent documentary, In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan goes into great detail explaining how different foods (processed and unprocessed) affect the body and how “nutritionism” (a focus on individual nutrients rather than the food itself) has derailed our understanding of food. The result has been decades of focusing on fat, cholesterol, fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, or calories, which has left humans fatter, sicker, and more confused than ever.

The mantras “Eat less, exercise more,” “ Balance energy,” and “Everything in moderation,” have brainwashed generations of Americans into believing they can eat whatever they want as long as they exercise enough to “burn it off.” The problem is, this doesn’t work.

Last year, a conglomeration of beverage companies created a campaign called MyMixify to convince kids that they can “mixify” their lives by “balancing” some activity with a sports drink or sugary juice beverage. High-fructose corn syrup, the form of sugar found in most commercial sodas, sports drinks, and fruit drinks today, has been shown to have a detrimental effect on the liver and to increase insulin resistance and it is associated with type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Even zero calorie “diet” beverages have been shown to negatively affect the intestinal microbiome and raise blood sugar in the process.

By perpetuating the premise that a calorie equals a calorie, that a calorie from a nutritious vegetable is the equal of a calorie from high fructose corn syrup, processed food companies avoid any responsibility for the food they create, placing the blame squarely on the shoulders of the consumers. It’s not the highly processed, incredibly addictive, preservative and sugar-filled, artificially colored and flavored substances that are the problem, it’s that you are not running 10 miles daily to burn it off! “Don’t blame us!” they say.

Sorry, Coke and Pepsi, but you can’t out exercise junk food.

Quality Matters

Most people who change their diets from a standard American diet to paleo, vegetarian, vegan or similar diets see significant changes to their health largely due to the removal of processed foods. (If they actually stick with it, of course.) Those who change their diets but continue to eat processed foods, generally do not see the same benefits. The reason is that the human body does not treat all foods the same. Everything gets digested and responded to by hormones differently, depending upon the type of food, quality of ingredient(s), and composition of nutrients.

In his book, The Dorito Effect, author Mark Schatzker dives into the world of flavor and its impact on nutrition and our health. Flavor isn’t just a bonus; it actually tells us what’s in the food we’re eating. The fruits, vegetables, and even animals we’re consuming today are being bred for speed to market and shelf stability, not flavor. The results are foods that have less nutritional value and less flavor than foods traditionally raised. Taste a fresh tomato fresh from the garden, then taste one “fresh” from the grocery store. The difference is like night and day. One has grown into full ripeness on the vine and is bursting with life and flavor, the other was picked while still green, trucked across the country and treated with ethylene gas to “ripen” before it is brought to the store. It  has a mealy, cardboard-like texture and flavor.

So Which Would You Rather Eat?

Conversely, quality helps moderate the amount we eat as well. When was the last time you overate a plate of salmon or broccoli or eggs? Can’t recall? What about a bag of chips? Or a bottle of soda? Foods that are created to be devoured mindlessly like chips or soda are incredibly easy to over consume. They are high in “flavor” (mostly from chemical additives) but low in nutrition, so your body wants to keep eating, thinking that some nutrition has to be in there somewhere. Sadly, it isn’t. But with real food that is full of flavor and nutritional value, you don’t need to eat as much to feel full and satisfied because your body is actually receiving both a nutritious and delicious meal.

To bring this philosophy back to health and the daily decisions consumers make, a movement toward real food is growing in America. Enlightened consumers don’t want the Monsanto bred corn grain or factory farmed meats from the slaughterhouse. To put it simply, they want quality not quantity.

Michael Pollan’s take away from In Defense of Food is to follow these simple rules:

• Eat food.
• Don’t eat too much.
• Eat mostly plants.

Whatever your dietary preference, we couldn’t agree more. Whether you’re paleo, vegetarian, vegan, low carb or just want to be healthy, these are words to live by.

While tracking calories may be a part of your healthy lifestyle, focusing only on calorie counts will not create a healthier life. Obsessing over one aspect of a food isn’t healthy. Instead, focus on quality whole foods (non-processed foods) and enjoy. Your body will take care of the rest!

So What To Do Now?

When cooking at home, it’s quite easy to regulate what goes onto your plate. When dining out, however, do you really know what’s going on behind the curtain? In order to extend this real food philosophy to the dining world, Tasteful App (available on iOS and Google Play) ranks restaurants based on the quality of their ingredients and the benefits for certain types of diet. So no matter where or how you’re eating, you can make truly healthy decisions.

Related Reading:

• Fitness vs. Health – Letter from the Editor
• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included
• Healthy Sugar Alternatives and More
• 8 Steps to Health

It is no surprise that conventional doctors and alternative practitioners do not tend to see eye-to-eye on the subject of food allergies. While conventional medical doctors acknowledge type 1hypersensitivity reactions (immediate reactions), there is little belief in delayed, hidden, or unrecognized allergic reactions and the role they play in acute and chronic medical conditions.

Alternative health care practitioners are more likely to understand the role of hidden allergies – how they impact the immune system and the gut and how addressing and eliminating these food sensitivities are essential to restoring health. Undetected food allergies are often related to recurrent infections, autoimmune diseases, diseases of the bowel, and ADHD. The book, Nutritional Medicine, lists more than 80 food allergy related conditions and diseases.

Reactions can occur hours or days after ingesting an allergen and they may not occur every time the food is ingested, making the identification of offending foods difficult to impossible, especially when several foods are at fault. Since medical testing for food allergies works well for 1 hypersensitivity allergens but is inconclusive for hidden allergens, the only way to identify hidden food allergies is through a well-planned and executed elimination diet.

Before You Start Your Elimination Diet

First make a list of every symptom you have from the top of your head to your toes. List every ache and pain, every rash, every digestive symptom, etc. It doesn’t hurt to rate severity, too.

How To Do an Elimination Diet

A thorough elimination diet generally excludes the following:

• All known allergens
• All milk products including cheese, butter, yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese, etc.
• All corn and corn products including corn oil and high fructose corn syrup
• All artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives
• Chocolate
• Refined sugar
• Citrus (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, tangerines)
• Wheat
• Soy
• Eggs
• Coffee and tea
• Alcohol
• Any food that is eaten 3 times a week or more
• Tap Water (Drink pure spring water or distilled water from safe containers)

Care must be taken if eating any processed foods. Read the label carefully to be sure the product does not have any ingredients on the elimination list.

While the list above may work well for an elimination diet, we recommend taking the elimination diet a few steps further.

• Eat only organic foods. You may be reacting to pesticide residues.
• For the duration of the elimination diet (which is hopefully followed by a healing diet) eliminate all processed foods.
• Eliminate gluten (wheat, barley, rye, spelt, kamut, triticale)
• Eliminate all sugars
• Eliminate nuts and seeds
• Eliminate trans fats, artificial sweeteners, MSG, and GMO foods

So what do you eat? Plenty of fresh, raw, organic fruits and veggies (except for corn and citrus fruits); meat if you desire (but be sure it is organic); rice, gluten-free oats, and other gluten-free grains;  organic oils (not corn); and organic beans.

If you experience severe withdrawals the first few days of the diet, vitamin C may help. Try taking 1,000 mg of vitamin C up to four times a day.

Before You Reintroduce Foods

After 2-3 weeks, if hidden food allergies were a problem, you should be feeling much better. Before you begin challenging your body with foods that were eliminated from your diet, go over your symptom list and circle every symptom that is no longer present and rate the severity of those that remain.

Now you want to reintroduce one food at a time to see which foods provoke symptoms. It helps to keep a detailed food diary at this point.

How To Reintroduce Foods

Reintroduce one eliminated food at a time (one a day) to check for a reaction. Make a note in your food diary as to whether or not there was any reaction and what the reaction entailed. If there was no reaction at breakfast, challenge yourself with the food again at lunch. If there was no reaction at lunch, challenge again at dinner. Whether you reacted or not, eliminate the food again and test the next food on your list the following day. Reactions include:

• Headache
• Nausea
• Bloating
• Cramps or stomach ache
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Rash
• Dark circles under the eyes
• And any symptom that has reappeared from your list

Some foods require special testing.

• Eggs – Hard boil the eggs. Test with egg whites one day and egg yolks another day.
• Dairy – Test milk, kefir, yogurt, and butter on the same day. Test individual cheeses one day at a time.
• Citrus fruits – test each one on a separate day. Lemon and lime juice can be added to water. For the other citrus fruits, eat whole fresh fruit.
• Corn – be sure you test with organic corn on the cob or frozen organic corn.

If you experience joint pain that is relieved through the elimination diet, challenge with a possible allergen (a food you have removed from your diet) every other day, instead of each day, as it may take up to 48 hours for joint pain to appear. Other reactions generally appear within ten minutes to 12 hours.

While identifying and eliminating allergens from your diet is an essential step towards regaining your health, it is more important to heal the gut and permanently remove unhealthy foods from your diet.

Foods To Eliminate For Good

So first, there is no reason to ever reintroduce artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, MSG, GMOs, trans fats, artificial sweeteners, or refined sugar back into your diet.

A Truly Healthy Diet

A healthy diet consists of 80% fresh, raw, organic produce. If you eat meat and dairy, it should also be organic. If you have any chronic health problems, especially any autoimmune disease, you probably suffer from a permeable gut, often called leaky gut syndrome. It would be wise to learn all you can about healing the gut, reducing Candida in your system, and increasing the good bacteria.

Heal the Gut to Eliminate Allergies

When you heal the gut and continue to eat a healthy diet, food allergies to dissipate, even severe allergies that have caused anaphylactic reactions in the past. It is also not unusual for someone who has eradicated their food sensitivities to find their allergies surface once again after just a day or two of eating refined sugar or drinking alcohol, which promotes Candida, inflames the gut, and causes allergies. If food allergies are potentially a result of vaccine damage, check out the leaky gut article below and How To Detoxify and Heal From Vaccinations – For Adults and Children. Be sure to check out all of the following articles for more on eliminating allergies permanently.

Recommended Reading:

• Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases
• Allergy Free in Five Days (foods, dander, dust, seasonal, etc.)
• 80% Raw Food Diet

Sources:

• Nutritional Medicine by Alan R. Gaby, M.D.
• The Simple Elimination Diet That Could Change Your Life Forever – Mind Body Green